This invention relates to baked products and methods for making them. In particular, the invention relates to a method of making a laminated dough pizza crust. The laminated dough pizza crust of the present invention demonstrates improved palatability and stability when heated in a microwave oven. Microwave ovens have provided a convenient means for heating a variety of frozen food products. Within this category of frozen food products, frozen store-bought pizzas continue to be a popular microwave-heatable item for consumers. These frozen pizzas offer the convenience of being heatable in either a conventional oven or a microwave oven. The crusts for these pizzas have traditionally been made from a simple yeast-based dough, similar to that used for making other bread products.
Frozen pizzas of the thin-crusted variety tend to be more generally favored if the crust has a crispy quality when cooked. These characteristics are easily accomplished in a conventional oven due to such an oven's direct surface heating and drying effects. In microwave ovens, however, excess moisture within the frozen crust often causes it to become soft and soggy. After prolonged exposure, the crust becomes tough and unpalatable, with the crumb of the crust becoming rubbery and gummy. Reducing the amount of time the crust is exposed to microwave energy is usually not a possibility, because the pizza toppings must be heated to a proper serving temperature. By the time the toppings are adequately heated, the crust can already be unpalatable.
Various attempts have been made to overcome the problems associated with exposure of pizza crusts to microwave energy. These improvements, however, have been only minimally successful. For example, dough formulas have been manipulated to make them homogeneously higher in shortening content and eggs. The inclusion of these additional ingredients slows the crust's absorption of microwave energy. These types of crusts do not have a pleasant taste or texture.
Other cures such as pre-cooking or pre-toasting have been attempted to reduce the amount of moisture in the bread product and thus alleviate the problems caused when the product is exposed to microwave energy. However, the pre-cooking can degrade the taste and instead create a dry, unappealing product. In the case of pizzas, the reduction of moisture in the pre-cooked crust becomes somewhat futile, because the low moisture is counteracted by the addition of the pizza toppings, such as tomato sauce, cheese, meats, and vegetables, all of which re-contribute moisture to the crust. Moreover, the pre-toasting adds an additional, expensive step to the entire pizza-making process.
Other methods for incorporating fat into pizza crusts have been developed to improve the overall texture of the crust. One method includes incorporating flakes of shortening or fat into a homogenous dough. This crust is not specifically formulated for improved microwavability, however, and such a crust does not adequately possess the flaky texture of traditionally cooked thin-crusted pizzas.
Finally, some dough products for commercial foods such as pies and pastries are made using a laminated dough. A laminated dough typically comprises thin layers of dough separated by either a layer of fat or a layer of dough of a differing type. These laminated doughs have previously been used for puffed, highly risen pastries, which have little value for thin pizza crusts. Pizza crusts have also been made from a pressed laminated dough, although the advantages of using a multiple-layer dough tend to be lost during the steps of pressing or stamping the dough into discs. The pressing or stamping homogenizes much of the layered structure.